Inauguration

Here’s something counterintuitive: the closer a person lives to Washington, D.C., the more likely it is that he or she watched the inauguration on television.
Nielsen released its numbers for the top 56 media markets in the country today. These metropolitan areas had the highest inauguration viewership yesterday:

My pal Marc Lynch helped advise the Obama campaign on foreign policy as part of the oft-mocked Gang of 300. (The campaign had a lot of advisers. Get it?) Alas, he wasn’t given an administration position, as his new blog at Foreign Policy demonstrates. But yesterday he suffered the final indignity: being part of the [...]

One man’s short take after watching the Inauguration through the trees at the southern edge of the WWII Memorial:
There were few surprises through the ceremony, but there was no shortage of “changing-of-the-guard” symbolism — the recognition among the gathered that the Bush-era ends none too soon, and the pessimism of the last eight years might [...]

I know, I know: It’s a time of national service today, and of growing excitement about Tuesday’s historic events. But The Consumerist can’t help noting that Tuesday morning also marks a massive cosmetics giveaway by major department stores, beginning when the doors open in the morning for business.
From The Consumerist:
Americans face a tough choice Tuesday [...]

The Presidential Inaugural Committee today announced the initial lineup for the official opening inaugural event in Washington, slated to kick off at 7 p.m 2 p.m EST Sunday. Dubbed “We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” the festivities will air for free nationwide, exclusively on HBO at 7 p.m. EST Sunday.
From [...]

Not content to have just one controversial clergyman in a lead role at his inauguration celebration, President-elect Barack Obama has reportedly tapped a married gay bishop to lead the prayer at an event Sunday.
From Playbook:
BREAKING: The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who became the Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop in 2003 [...]

If you’re planning to be in Washington Jan. 20 to take part in President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration celebration, you might have a hard time getting close enough to see the swearing-in ceremony. But now you may be able to score a choice seat to watch the preceding inaugural parade that follows.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced [...]

Are you bummed because you want to attend President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, but you can’t score tickets? Well, this should make you feel worse. Apparently, disgraced Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whom you may remember was arrested last month for allegedly scheming to “sell” Obama’s vacated Senate seat, has a pair of the coveted passes.
From The [...]

No shocker here.
It’s not just the gay and lesbian community that’s going after President-elect Barack Obama for his choice to have Rick Warren, the socially conservative evangelical minister, deliver the inauguration’s invocation. Blogging for Congressional Quarterly, David Corn, Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones, says Obama has “stepped over a line…even if this is a [...]

Are you planning a pilgrimage to the nation’s capital to witness President-elect Barack Obama’s historic inauguration? Are you worried that the festivities might end when, as usual, the D.C. bars close at 2 a.m. on weeknights?
Good news! The Washington Post reports that the D.C. City Council passed emergency legislation yesterday allowing the city’s bars to [...]